Jackass became a phenomenon by mixing reality TV, a cringe factor, some grunge and rock music, skateboards and stunts that could be shown virally across Youtube. The popularity of their players, including current film star Johnny Knoxville and rehab attendee Steve-O, made for a sort of Bad Boys club which attracted a following of young impressionable boys to college educated adult males. MTV knew they had a tiger by the tail. The production quality was low. It was actually just a slight bit above a hand held camera, some props, an occasional costume or make-up gag, and a double dog dare. The show cost nothing, but raked in millions as well as millions of fans.
Each show opened with a disclaimer that all stunts were performed by professionals. It also went on to state that viewers need not send in their own videos for they would all be discarded. This was MTV's way to offset a fracas that was set off years earlier by Beavis and Butthead when fanatical, yet impressionable fans were setting fire to things ala a Beavis passing catch phrase of "Fire! Fire! I like fire!" The disclaimer of Jackass was more detailed as lawsuits from accidents by copycat fans would have buried the show in the first season.
There were actually two groups within the company that made up the Jackass fraternity. You had on one side Johnny Knoxville, a tall lean ringleader to this band of crazy risk takers. He was matched with his Boy Wonder partner in crime Steve-O, another skinny Gen Xer who would practically take any and all dares that involved eating, snorting, or self mutilation. Wee Man, a little person with a penchant for bigger dares. And Party Boy Chris Pontius, a good looking semi-body builder type who would strip down to a thong and dance at the drop of a cassette tape. On the other side of the cast was the Pennsylvania Mafia led by Bam Margera, an actual professional skateboarder, and fan favorite. When the Jack ass series ran its course, Bam's spin off continued in popularity all they way up to and including a season that covered his wedding.
The stunts performed on the show were deemed sophomoric and juvenile, but like a train wreck viewers could not turn away. Crashing into things, rolling downhill, splashing into water in a variety of vessels and contraptions were edited in a neat way with candid camera type stunts. Such stunts included Johnny Knoxville in old age make up causing havoc to store owners and the like. Hospital gags performed on the street. Drop a toxic package on the street and run. Hide someone in the trunk, open it and have them run off. These were all good laughs for a TV viewing crowd raised on the pablum of a show like America's Funniest videos.
Guest stars were occasionally sprinkled in for cool effect like Tony Hawk doing a skateboard stunt, or rocker Henry Rollins making an appearance among others. There were no need for introductions. If you were in on the Jackass joke then you already knew who they were.
The popularity of MTV's Jackass led the crew into making two highly successful feature films and a following feature called Jackass 2.5. It spawned a few spin offs which included Viva La Bam. Bam's Unholy Union, and the Wildboyz (featuring Steve-O and Pontius traveling the world and showing off wild animals while proving real people can be just as crazy in real life).
Jackass carved a different type of reality show niche for MTV that may never be repeated. It had a cast of zanies that looked like they could never hold a real job in the real world and made them all famous. Yes there were bumps and bruises, broken arms and concussions, lost teeth and in fighting along the way but such a simple show made television history. We are all a bit of a Jackass inside and the show catered to our own inner child wanting to jump a bikes off of some make shift ramp, or at least to mine. Jackass continues its popularity in reruns.